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JAS. R. HIGGS, OF UTIGA, NEW YORK.

HYDRANT.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,338, dated August 31, 1858.

To all whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. Hises, of

Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented a new and useful lmprovement in the Mode of Constructing Hydrants.

My improvement consists in placing in the upper part of the hydrant a cylinder which extends from the cap ofthe pipe downwardly, in which cylinder is the principal valve and the `valve shaft, by means of which the valves are opened and closed, and which cylinder, with the shaft and valve, may be removed without interfering with the case or pipe; `the use of two valves, one of which is placed at the bottom of the cylinder and the other farther down in the pipe, both valves being made to operate at j "the same time by means of a screw passing through the cap of the pipe, a rod or valve pin connected with the lower valve and extending to the upper valve, but not connected with it; and when the cylinder and upper valve are removed, the lower valve remains in its place and shuts off the water.

The waste rod is also connected with the said cylinder and valve rod in such manner that the waste pipe is opened and shut when the valves are shut and opened. And I do hereby declare that the folowing is a full, clear and exact description of the construction and operation of my improved hydrant, reference being had tothe annexed drawings, making aV part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a perspective view of the hydrantwith the cap partially removed; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cylinder and cap attached; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the hydrant; Fig. t is a perspective view of the upper valve, and the valve shaft, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower valve and valve pin, web and spiral spring.

The part marked with the letters A, A, in Figs. l and 3, is the pipe ofthe hydrant; B, B, Figs. l and 3, is the branch pipe through which the water is taken; C, C, C, Figs. l, 2 and 3, is the cylinder, at the lower end of which the upper valve is placed; D, D, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is the cap of the hydrant; E, E, E, Figs. 2, 3, and 4, is the upper valve; F, F, Figs. 3 and 5, is the lower valve; G, G, Figs. 3 and 4, is the shaft of the upper valve E; H, H, and I, I, Figs. 3 and 4, are

square shoulders or flanges on the said shaft Gr; K, K, Figs. 3 and 4, is t-he female screw in the valve shaft G; L, L, Figs. 2 and 3, is the packing between the top of the upper valve, E, and the bottom of the cylinder C, and which also serves the like purpose between the inside of the pipe A, and the outside of the cylinder C; M, M, Figs. 3 and 5, is the valve pin; N, N, Figs. 3 and 5, is the web which holds the lower valve and pin in their places; O, Fig. 5, is the spiral spring on the pin M, to keep the valve up; P, P, P, Figs. l, 2 and 3, is the male screw fitting into the female screw K, K, Figs. 3 and 4, by means of which the valves E and F, and the waste pipe a are opened and closed; Q. and Q', Figs. l and 2, are the male and female screws by which the cap D is fastened to the pipe A; R, R, Figs. 2 and 3, is the opening in the side of the cylinder C, through which the water passes into the branch B; S, S, Figs. l, 2 and 3, is the rod which closes the waste pipe; T, T, T, Figs. l, 2 and 3, is a stud on said rod, by which the said rod is made to raise and fall to open and close the waste pipe; U, U, Figs.2 and 3, are projections or studs on the side of the cylinder, through which the rod S is made to run vertically; V, V, Figs. l and 3 are two projections on the opposite sides of the pipe A, by means of which the pipe is united firmly to the` water pipe; W, W', Figs. 2 and 3, is a stop screw for regulating the distance to whichthe valve shaft may be screwed down; X, X, Fig. 3, is a shoulder or valve seat on the inside of the pipe A, against which the packing L Figs. 2 and 3, presses. when the valve E is closed; Z, Z, Z, Figs. land 3, is the flange or bead on the bottom of the pipe A; a, Fig. 3 is the waste pipe; Z), Fig. l, is a projection on the each side of the branch pipe B, similar to V, V; c, c, Fig. 3, is a slit in the pipe, and Z, Fig. l, a projection on the back of the pipecorresponding with the inside slit.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved hydrant, ll will proceed to describe the construction and operation thereof.

The pipe A is made of cast iron. Itmay be about two feet in length, and the bore about six inches in diameter for a little more than one half its depth. For the remainder of the pipe, the bore is about five inches,

until within about three or four inches of the lower end where a shoulder projects inward clear around, as seen at X, X, Fig. 3, against the under side of which,.the valve F presses when closed. At one side of the pipe A, and at the lower end of the enlarged part thereof, is the branch pipe B, through which the water passes. On the lower end and outer side of the pipe A, is a bead Z for connecting the pipe with the water pipe. On the upper end of the pipe A, is a male screw Q, and `on to which the cap D, is screwed. vThe said cap D, is of cast iron and has a projection on the top or upper side, through which passes the screw P, for raising or lowering the valves E and F, and the rod S, for closing and opening the waste pipe. On the inside of the pipe A, opposite to the branch pipe B, is a slit o, extending from the top of the pipe to where the pipe contracts, in which the projections U, U, on the cylinder C, pass; also the stud T and the rod S; at the bottom of this slit is the waste pipe a; on the outer side of the pipe is a projection l corresponding with the slit or groove on the inside.- j

The cylinder C, is made of cast iron and is on the'outside, a little smaller than the bore of the pipe; but with a flange at each end which exactly fits the bore of the pipe; and the cylinder, when the valve E is in its place, with its packing, is just the length of the larger part of the pipe without the cap. On the side ofthe cylinder opposite to the opening R, are the projections U, U, which serve as well for a support for the rod S, as to prevent the cylinder from turning in the pipe when the screw P is turned to raise or lower the valves E and F; the lower end of the cylinder C, projects in a thin edge, a little beyond the lower ring or ange, on which projection is placed the circular ring of leather or other packing L; which packing is so placed as to serve at once as packing between the end of the cylinder and the top of the valve E, thus forming a seat for the valve and also a packing between the cylinder and the inside of the pipe. The cylinder is round on the inside from the bottom up tothe top of the opening R. The remainder of the inside is square with a circular chamber for a short space about half way between the said opening B and the top. At the top, it is countersunk suficient for a washer to be placed on the top. j The valve E and shaft G are of brass and cast of one piece; the shaft has twol square shoulders upon it H and I, which correspond in position with the'square openings of the cylinder C, and are made to move freely up and down through a given distance regulated by the stop screw W, which passes through the cylinder C at a proper distance between said H and I.v The valve E is convex on the lower side and concave on the upper side; on the lower side of this valve, a hole is countersunk, a short distance, in which,

when in place, the top of the lower valve pin' M, presses. The head of the shaft G has a large female screw K sunk in it, in which the screw P is screwed and by means of which, said valve shaft and valve are made to rise and fall. The screw P passes through the cap D as already described, and has, upon the part below the under side of the cap, a shoulder which fits into a countersink or depression in thecap. In the top of the cap is packing covering the whole top of the cap and pipe, and around the screw P, under the packing and fitting into the top of the cylinder, as before described, is a proper washer. The screw, holding the cap D to the pipe, and the screw P turn in different directions.

The waste pipe a is an opening through the side of t-he pipe at the bottom of the slit o, as seen in Fig. 3; this waste pipe is closed by t-he lower end of the rod S fitting the opening. When the valve E is screwed down and opened, t-he rod S, closes the waste pipe. When the valve E, is screwed up and closed, the stud T is raised by the shoulder H, and consequently the waste pipe is opened. The lower valve F, and the valve pin M are cast in one piece of brass, and they are together of such length that when the upper valve is closed and the end of the`V but to suifer the water to pass up to the' upper valve E, and thus prevents the wear and grinding of the lower rvalve which would be caused by the constant pressure of the water upon it. When the upper valve is opened by the screw P, the descent of the shaft G, and valve E, presses downward the lower valveF and opens it to a little greater extent than the upper valve E. `When the upper valve E is closed, the lower valve F is made to assume its proper place by the upward pressure of the water, or by means of a spiral spring O, on the valve pin M, as seen in Fig. 5. The valve F, is kept in place by means of a .webjN passing'from side to side of the pipe A, with a hole through its center, vertically, through which the pin M passes.

The hydrant thus formed is inclosed Vin any of the usual modes, in mason work or iron casing, and is sunk so far below the surface of the ground as to be beyond the reach of frost; and the topor covering may be of iron or any other material, and in any of the usual forms. The bottom of the pipe A, is attached in the usual manner to the water pipe, andV from the branch pipe B, may extend a pipe upward sufliciently to give the water at any desired height above the ground. The head of the screw P, may

visc

either be extended upward above the ground, or it may be made with a proper head to which can be tted a key or wrench.

When to be used, the cover of the hydrant is to be opened, and the screw P, turned downward the proper distance, when both valves will be opened and the water will pass up through the branch pipe B. If the hydrant gets out of order, the cap D can readily be unscrewed, and the cylinder with the upper valve and waste rod be withdrawn without disturbing any other part of the hydrant; while the withdrawing of the cylinder and upper valve will allow the lower valve to close by means of the upward pressure of the water, and thus obviate the necessity in such cases, of shutting olf the water.

What" I claim as my invention. and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. The cylinder C constructed substantially as described.

2. The combination of the cylinder C with the upper valve E and its rod Gr, when containedand operated in case A, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the cylinder C and the valve E with the waste rod S and waste pipe A substantially as described.

4. The combination of the cylinder C and valve E with the lower valve F substantially as described.

Vlitnesses:`

HoivniR TowNsEND, H. A. DANIELS.

JAMES n HIGGs. 

